The Great 'best money lessons from your grandparents' Hunt

Elsewhere

j.e.j. wrote: »

I like that interpretation, but I thought the phrase 'fur coat and no knickers' actually had a different meaning..

The version I heard was "Red hat and no knickers" and had the meaning you are thinking of.

j.e.j.

yes, when I hear the saying I think of it as meaning someone who looks quite well-to-do and classy but has.. er.. dubious morals :rotfl:

margaretclare

meritaten wrote: »

That was still going when I was a child! I can remember taking my 'Thruppence' or 'Sixpence' in! Wonder what happened to that?

My lovely nan always said 'never pay on 'tick', save up and you will get it for half the price'!
she also said ' never a mickle makes a muckle' and even though I am now 58 - I still have no Bluddy Idea what she meant!

No, you've misheard or misquoted it. It was 'Many a mickle makes a muckle'. It's a very old phrase meaning 'many a little makes a lot'. The phrase 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' is along the same lines. Meaning, take care of little and it will grow to be a lot. The same philosophy behind teaching/encouraging a child in small savings on a regular basis.

When my daughters were little and used to go and stay with their granny, she'd take them down to the local post office and buy a savings stamp every week, show them how to stick it into a little savings book. When there was enough the stamps would be converted into National Savings Certificates. This was in the 1960s.

Apparently it is no longer possible to do small savings with the Post Office - someone was talking about this recently on the 50+ page - and this, I think, is sad. I really do think it is of the greatest importance to encourage children to save and this was a very simple means to that end. The kids could see the stamps, they could stick them on, and they could see them being converted into certificates. They understood the idea of 'compound interest' from a fairly early age, in practical terms.

escortg3

my dads was 'dont be a busy fool' and 'buy cheap buy twice'.

my nan always said 'you get what you pay for' which is very true.

another from my dad was 'theres a man for a every job'. meaning he would never do painting at home or electric's as that was taking it away from a trades man.

grandad used to say 'every dog has his day' or 'what goes around comes around'

FattyBettyBoo

My Nan was penny-wise and pound foolish.

Used to dish out money left, right and centre to anyone who asked, and buy things she didn't really need from the backs of magazines (rings, steif bears etc). But then would get my Granddad to drive an extra 2 miles to a shop that sold groceries a penny cheaper!

Every time I wanted to justify buying something expensive I didn't really need I would ask my Nan, as she used to say "live for today as tomorrow may never come". She bought me a horse when I was 11 then my poor Dad had to pay for its keep until I was old enough to work!

I did learn from her though to throw money at your mortgage. She paid hers off 10 years early by over paying every month.

stephga23

I was talking to my granny last night and she told me, "you must always cut your coat according to the cloth"

Gemini.IDF

nixta wrote: »

It's a sensible theory that given the disproportionate rise in house prices since your grandparents' day is easier said than done.

The wages we got then was disproportionate compared to now as well! Don't forget that! I have noticed that whenever people write on here about how they and their parents have done the sensible things in life and even though they were poor, done all the things recorded in all the above Posts, there are always people who resent them! I say, more power to your elbows everyone who has contributed about this and I agree with every word (except the last one above!) The thing was, older people didn't expect everything 'Now'; didn't expect all the latest 'This' and 'That', but 'Cut their coats according to the cloth' as the saying goes. These are the people who are reasonably comfortable now, in their old age. And by 'Reasonably comfortable' I mean being able to pay their bills without worrying and have their mortages paid off because they have not been borrowing on them every time the equity on their properties went up in order to buy luxuries and stuff they couldn't really afford. I have known people who have earned far more than me and my husband all their working lives, who have gone on spending every penny without a single thought for the future; thinking that the State should support them in their old age, rather than that they should have planned to support themselves! This attitude amongst these 'Baby Boomers' and those who came just after them, is going to create such enormous trouble in the future! The country just won't be able to support all these people in the manner they seem to expect. Benefits were only intended to prevent extreme poverty in hard times, not to enable people to run cars, buy unnecessary items, go on holiday, etc. etc.! Attitudes have to change!

j.e.j.

This thread's reminded me, my great-grandmother used to have a saying, that someone's got "Rolls-Royce ideas and a push-bike income" when someone was being a bit unrealistic about what they could do or afford!

Bennifred

j.e.j. wrote: »

This thread's reminded me, my great-grandmother used to have a saying, that someone's got "Rolls-Royce ideas and a push-bike income" when someone was being a bit unrealistic about what they could do or afford!

Ah yes! Champagne tastes and lemonade money!

tinkerbel*79

a had tip from a pensioner,
cash your pension on monday then next week cash it on tuesday and so on until u end up cashing 2 pensions at once. would work being payed weekly.
could maybe be adapted to monthly. but most ppl are paid by bacs now.mmmm maybe a way to convert to modern times.
love the quote dont keep up with jones drag em down to your level and
fur coat and no knockers havent heard that one in a long time.
:rotfl:
after years of being paid monthly trying to wrap my heard around being paid weekly again!!!:eek: